The Program
The Conservation Reserve Program
(CRP) is the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s single largest environ-
mental improvement program and
has proven to be one of the most
effective. The program allows
landowners and operators to enter
into 10- to 15-year contracts with
USDA to convert highly erodible
cropland and other environmentally
sensitive cropland to vegetative
cover such as introduced and native
grasses, wildlife habitat and food-
plot plantings, trees, filter strips, or
riparian buffers. In exchange,
landowners receive annual rental
payments for the land and cost-
share assistance for establishing
certain conservation practices.
CRP continues to be a popular con-
servation program in Colorado and
in other Northern Plains states.
CRP Goals
To reduce erosion
To improve water quality
To enhance wildlife habitat
Colorado CRP (as of October 2006)
2.37 million acres of cropland
enrolled
13,236 contracts
39 out of 63 counties have con-
tracts
$74 million total in rental pay-
ments annually
$31 per acre average rental pay-
ment
12,532 plans written with indi-
vidual landowners
1.36 million acres of contracts
are due to expire from 2006 to
2010, but all acres were offered
contract extentions or re-enroll-
ments requiring conservation plan
modifications.
CRP’s Continuous Sign-up
This feature of the program allows
the landowner to establish certain
conservation buffer practices on
cropland and marginal pasture, and
to enroll the land in CRP at any
time without having to go through
the process of submitting a compet-
itive offer. Competitive offers are
required during “regular” CRP
signups. Conservation buffers help
to control potential pollutants and
manage other environmental con-
cerns.
Filter strips
Field borders
Grassed waterways
Field windbreaks
Shelterbelts
Contour grass strips
Riparian forest buffers
NRCS provides technical and
financial assistance to help
agricultural producers and
others care for the land.
NRCS has six mission goals
that include high quality,
produ